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This review discusses the graphic novel of Tolkien's The Hobbit, with illustrations by David Wenzel and adapted by Dixon and Deming. The cover art is by Giancola and is different than the cover shown above.I have been enamored of Tolkien's universe for over three decades now, and interested in associated works as well, though some work better than others. This one-volume illustrated adaptation of the novel works very well indeed. What I'm probably most grateful for is that, while not a verbatim transcript, it is a fairly complete adapatation -- even Beorn is here! As for artwork, I always measure Tolkien art by the depiction of the hobbits, and Gandalf, and Wenzel does a fine job IMO. (His pictures are quite different from the cover art.) The hobbits aren't the best I've ever seen, but they're not freakish either, and the dwarves and Gandalf and the elves and the settings are all quite nice.This would be of interest to a Tolkien collector, a fun read for graphic novel fans, and a nice introduction to the Tolkien canon for wee folk.Note: I believe there is also a three-volume graphic novel though I haven't seen it. This edition is complete in one volume.

Unfortunately Amazon has mashed together all the Hobbit reviews. But the comic/graphic novel version is different enough to warrant it's own review pool.I bought this expecting to love reliving the Hobbit in a visual format. But that didn't happen. This adaption is just flat and missing so much of the magic Tolkien created. I suppose that's a given when you replace so much of his expertly crafted words with pictures.If nothing else, read the standard version of the Hobbit first before trying this. Reading this first will just spoil what a great book the Hobbit is.

The Hobbit is an amazing piece of work, and one of my favorite books. It was lots of puzzles and magic, two of the key elements that I like to see in a book. I would recommend this book to anybody who has about a 5th-6th grade reading level.

The artwork is a mite cartoony for a devotee of all things Tolkien, and JRR may not approve, (but he's probably been spinning for years now). The text stays fairly true to the original and as such, may not be palatable to younger readers (my 7 yr old gave it up as "boring"). If graphic novels, while perhaps poo-pooed by the restrictive underclothes types, can encourage literacy and revive the classics, I say go, go, go.

I never used to like Harry Potter- I had never read the book. I did and I wanted to read more more more. This is the same way. I have just read this book and I found it truly a brilliant, magical fantasy epic.This magical story starts of telling you about Bilbo and his hobbit-hole (I had to put down the book for a while, I will admit.... don't do it though... once you get past that part it gets much better). He, a wizard (Gandalf) and 12 dwarves set off for a great adventure to defeat the great Dragon Smaug and get back the treasure he once stole from the town of Dale. They all will get an equal share once they find it. Along the way they meet:-goblins-eagles-wolves-elves-giant spiders-and many other thingsWhat a fantastic story. A MUST read. After this you must also read The Lord of the Rings Series. Here's the order:-The Fellowship of the Ring-The Two Towers-The Return of the KingThese are all now movies and all on DVD and Video Tape.ORDER @ AMAZON.COM TODAY!

"First published in the United States more than sixty years ago, J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' has become one of the best-loved books of all time. Tolkien's fantasy was then adapted into a fully painted graphic novel, which became a classic in its own right..."These words are found on the back of the graphic novel's cover, and I'm glad that's all they say about the possible quality of the book. Thankfully, the graphic novel isn't praised to be as equally good as the actual book, because while it is indeed good, it doesn't compare to Tolkien's early literary masterpiece.I'm not familiar with American graphic novels (Japanese manga is more my trade), so I can't fairly compare this graphic novel to other graphic novels. However, I can say that this book does make use of the term "graphic novel": it runs somewhat like a comic book, using pictures, and is occasionally filled with excerpts of storytelling from the original book. So it's not really a comic book, and it's definately not a novel, so it most likely really is a graphic novel, but I really can't say for sure.The artwork of "The Hobbit" graphic novel is like everything else that's been used with the Middle-Earth licence: some will like it, some will hate it. The color scheme reminds me of an oil painting and the character designs appear somewhat "old-school," although some people won't have any trouble with that style. To my knowledge, all of the story of "The Hobbit" is in the graphic novel, but expect some scenes to be condensed. The pacing can be a little off, and sometimes things just happen out of the blue.Read more ›